scopophobia means an unreasonable fear of being seen, or stared at. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “scopophobia” is a great word
SCOPOPHOBIA — [Noun] An irrational and persistent fear of being seen, watched, or stared at. From Ancient Greek σκοπέω (skopéō, "to examine, look at") + -phobia (from φόβος (phóbos, "fear")). Unlike social anxiety disorder, which encompasses a broader dread of judgment in many interpersonal situations, or paranoia, which involves delusional beliefs of persecution, scopophobia is a precise, visceral dread of the observing eye itself. It is the flinch at a lit window across the street, the physical pressure of a gaze felt between the shoulder blades in an empty square, and the desperate curation of a life lived in the wings—a quiet conviction that to be perceived is to be irrevocably exposed.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek σκοπέω (skopéō, “examine, inspect, look to or into, consider”) + -phobia.
noun
- An unreasonable fear of being seen, or stared at.